toast

With the best will in the world communication is not going to create more school places. edited to add an e

Took survey, questions are oddly chosen but it is jolly hard to write a top survey. So long as it's used to improve the area and not for some political point scoring, its all for the best.

Been wishing the same thing, big ones are a bit too crazy.

Thanks Fiona, hope your point gets through. Briefly a parents view of the meeting. 1. No talk of 'blips', lots of talk of 'bulges'! This is a real problem which is going to grow for at least the next few years. 2. No new school, very sensible reasons (based on current population projections) 3. Bulge classes to be responsive to demand when known, (again seemed sensible to me but will be very short notice, hard to get right teacher?) 4. Those who put their nearest school as first choice and dont get in are at a significant disadvantage for other near schools, (legality of highlighting those effected unclear). Will increasingly be a problem over next few years. 5. The idea of a time lag was highlighted, and the ability of parents to make a difference. The govenor of Heber attended and spoke of their measures to get the school from (nearly?) special measures to where it is today, spoke of standing outside the school with coffee pots to welcome parents in to open evenings. Bessimer Grange sounds fab, Goose Green is getting back on its feet and may well fly with new head, newly strengthened staff, extra money, increasingly mixed intake etc. Takes time for the strengths of a school to be known to new parents, and schools can turn around fast. Idealy we would like a school we could walk to, and still hope we do, but so long as parents get their 'local' school ED and the Rye could end up with loads of excellent schools. If anyone has further news once the forum is closed they could be posted in the facebook page.

Challenging religious views is not wrong but i think it's fair to say it is a bit impolite.

clux Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > the thing that makes me really cross about the > whole admissions process is that i initially > didn't get a place at any of the 4 schools i > applied to. i then got put on a waiting list for > these schools but people who applied late, or > hadn't applied to these schools at all but wanted > to be added to the waiting list, went ahead of my > daughter on the list if they lived nearer. surely > a fairer system is for priority on the lists to be > given to applications made on time and for those > people who applied to the school as one of their 4 > choices. my daughter was getting pushed further > and further down the lists. there was no benefit > whatsoever to me having got my application in > correctly and on time, or in fact at all, as i > could just have rung round 12 schools and put my > daughter on the waiting lists once the first round > of offers had been made. The scrutiny explained that these were siblings who got in on appeal, so lates, but through appeals.

So indoctrinate them into a secular belief system?

I must be the only person i know not to have an axe to gring against religion. Bit jealous of the extra choices of schools but thats my bad. Without having had a religious upbringing myself i like the idea of faith, belief etc. Why the bile?

Always went to the one next door, (the old garden centre), bit cheeper and no queue!

What specific questions do we want the committee to address? Also following the meeting it might be good to be able to share ideas. The forum will be closed for a holiday from midnight next Wednesday 14th October for two weeks, the facebook page excludes lots of people, any ideas of another way?

As the forum will be closed for a holiday from midnight next Wednesday 14th October, we may need some other way of getting opinion/ feedback. There is always the facebook page but that does exclude lots of people. Any other ways?

Hello The Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday October 12 2009 7.00 pm. Its at the East Dulwich Community Centre, 46-64 Darrell Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9NL. According to FionaC "We will take brief deputations from parents and local cllrs at the beginning to tell the committee about their experiences this year, concerns for next yr and what they'd like to see happen" Further details on... http://www.facebook.com/l/2b4b7;moderngov.southwarksites.com/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=115&MId=2783&Ver=4 Hoping for good turn out as a show of local feeling.

JBARBER wrote If any parents on this thread or friends or family would like to apply to be a Southwark LEA Governor please do get in touch with me. We need more people putting themselves forward who have a passion for improving schools in our area. Sounds like ED and the Rye are responding to the schools crisis by being open to some of the less popular schools and championing them. Primary schools change so fast and i am hopeful that the places shortage may well be a boost for local schools as they will all be a better representation of their community. Knowing the area lots of people would be interested in becoming govenors but what does in really involve?

This is something i thought about, but heard it's lots of work. Worth a thread?

TP Wrote: > Toast: how do you know you won't get into your 6 > closest schools? I thought they were changing the > distance criteria this year to as the crow flies? Mum gossip!

Dear FionaC Lovely so see some common sense rule. Fingers crossed next year goes more smoothly than this one.

Just found out that based on last years intake we are unlikely to get into any of our 7 nearest schools (thought it was just the nearest 6!). Arse! Edited to add It isn't a blooming 'blip'! http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/apr/20/schools-shortage-places-credit-crunch

If you check out his other articles rage is his thing. Feel flattered to living somewhere interesting enough to rage about.

Bananas, a cake without sugar would have to be bananas!

Pinning my hopes on fraud, think your right, just loads of kids between us and the local schools!

Big believer in no napping past 3.30 rule (anything more and they wake up that much earlier in the morning). Mine are always going through fazes of going off naps when life gets particularily interesting, never lasts. Knacker them out in the morning and keep up your end of the routine and hopfuly they will get back on track. Like pickle i have to keep up the naps or life gets too tricky!

They bother taking a bus less than 700m? Maybe people moved in for schools and when they got into the school they moved further away? Or large scale school admissions fraud?

Evidence that the Peckham Rye councillors are still alive! http://www.southwarklabour.co.uk/lib-dems-push-school-offers-back-until-after-election-as-shortag edited to add another one http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=37889&headline=Southwark%20%27playing%27%20primary%20places

Thanks for advice. Had not even thought we might not have a choice in the matter, better check that out. Would be simpler if i had an idea which school we would end up at as dont want to move him more than once and we are unlikely to get into our 6 nearest schools. Good thing we dont have to make any decisions too soon.

Everything i have read and my instincts say put it off as long as possible, but all of my boys friends at nursery school will be going full time in January (he will be 4 and a few days!), possibly leaving him feeling left out. I work part time to be with my children and feel like it's way too young, but he loves school and would probably love being with his friends all day. Advice appreciated.